Conservative Group leader cllr Andrew Cumpsty and Lib Dem leader cllr Kirsten Bayes are finalising coalition plans to take control of Reading Borough Council

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Reading Conservatives are finalising an agreement with Liberal Democrats to form a coalition to take control of Reading Borough Council.

In a statement released today the Conservatives say: "The recent local elections resulted in very little change to the political make-up of the council, although almost two-thirds of the votes cast were for the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats.

"Taking note of the initiative of the two parties in national government, the two council groups embarked on a process of negotiation that resulted in this agreement to work together for the good of the town.

"The agreement to work as a coalition is driven by a shared desire to deliver change and improve services.

"A key objective of the coalition administration will be to put the council finances on a firm footing after many years of Labour mismanagement".

In the statement Conservative Group leader councillor Andrew Cumpsty said “These are very interesting times. The discussions with the Liberal Democrats have been extremely positive throughout and I’m delighted to have reached this agreement.

"We are serious about running an effective council focused on the needs of our residents, offering better value for money and a commonsense approach to local government. I’m extremely confident that this can be achieved by working together with our Liberal Democrat partners.”

Cllr Cumpsty added: “We all felt that ‘more of the same’ with Labour was not the best option for this town.”

In a similar statement released later the Liberal Democrats said: The recent local elections resulted in very little change to the political make-up of the council, although almost two-thirds of the votes cast were for the Liberal Democrats or Conservatives.

"Taking note of the initiative of the two parties in national government, the two council groups embarked on a process of negotiation that resulted in this agreement to work together for the good of the town".

"This joint administration of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives brings about Reading's rejection of the old politics of Reading Labour Party."

"We are aware that the national deficit makes pressure on local public finances immense. We are absolutely committed to working together to ensure that the hard-pressed residents of Reading get more efficient services.

“It was clear from our discussions that the two groups shared many ideas of bringing positive change to the Town. There is a shared ambition and energy across our groups to bring some much-needed positive leadership to the council.

"We agree that 'more of the same' with Labour is not the best option for this town.“